Miraculous One Shot Compilation

Claws In

A/n - Eep! Who else got psyched up by the season two trailor? I know some people are disappointed, but I am relieved that Gabriel isn't Hawkmoth. He looks like he's going to be a pretty tough akuma to defeat, and they are going to fight him in his own home, wich is also where Adrien lives. I can just imagine Chat knowing more than he should about his own home.

Marinette was seeing red. Hawkmoth had gone too far. In her eyes, Adrien was the sweetest, smartest, most perfect boy she had ever met, and he deserved nothing but the best. Hawkmoth was not complying with her ideals when he akumatized Adrian's father, Gabriel Agreste.

How many teenage girls, she wondered wryly, broke into her crush's house with another boy and attempted to perform an exorcism on who she hoped might someday be her father-in-law.

Gabriel made a tough akuma indeed. He, now named The Collector, had managed to take hostage iconic people and items alike. André Bourgeois, Nadja Chamak, Jagged Stone, and Fang had been reduced down to pencil sketches alongside multiple landmarks, Jagged Stone's piano, and Chat Noir's staff.

In between fighting, she'd kept an eye out for her crush. They were in his home after all. She hadn't caught a glimpse of him, and was unsure whether she should be relieved or not. Perhaps he was somewhere safely away and wouldn't have to see his father in this state, but perhaps he had been taken hostage along with the others. It was hard to believe that the boy's own father would be capable of that, but people really weren't themselves when they had an akuma.

Now Ladybug was battling the man inside his own house, trying to avoid damaging anything belonging to the family of the boy she loved. Chat seemed to be doing his own share as well as hers.

"Chat!" She yelled in horror as the boy smashed a framed picture of Adrien over The Collector's head. Was he always that disrespectful to people's property? Was she only just now noticing it because of whose home they were in? Had she acted like that herself in previous fights?!

"What's wrong Bugaboo?" He purred, "The damage will be reversed after we win, it always is."

In her opinion, he seemed to be enjoying this fight way too much.

Without warning, The Collector threw his book at Ladybug. If it hadn't been for quick action by Chat, she would have suffered a nasty blow. Instead, he gave her a heart attack by slamming her against the wall.

"CHAT?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! DID HE TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR MIND?! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL... me?" To her surprise, the wall pannel spun harmlessly when her body made impact, sending her stumbling  dizzy but otherwise unharmed into an unlit room.

"He was beating us pretty bad." Chat slid in behind her. "I think we should stay hidden a while and regroup."

"How did you know this was here?" she whispered.

"Uh, cat instinct."

That didn't add up in her mind, but she was pretty sure that was his way of telling her she didn't want to know. If there was any chance it could comprise his identity, she was going to leave well enough alone.

"If we could somehow get up stairs without him knowing..." she mused aloud. She didn't have time to finish before Chat was dragging her along by the hand.

"This way."

For the reason of not knowing where they were, she decided it prudent to allow him to guide her. Her trust in him only increasing when he pushed through another wall pannel into Mr. Agreste's office.

"Thanks Kitty." She peeked out the door and took note of the akuma's position without giving it hers. Next she and Chat laid out their plan, and not without a great deal more difficulty, were able to return Gabriel to his normal self.

--

That evening Ladybug and Chat Noir went on a routine patrol, but as they may have suspected, all was quiet. It had been as big a day for Hawkmoth as for them, and he was probably still working out his next plan of attack.

"You did very well today." Ladybug commended her partner. "That case was very important to me and I'm glad it turned out well."

Chat let out a mrow of laughter. A/n - there is a combo of six words I haven't used since I used to write Warrior Cats fanfictions in junior high. Why would his father being akumatized be so important to his lady?

"Oh, and why is that?"

Ladybug huffed a little, seeming to contemplate before responding "promise you won't laugh?"

"Of course not M'Lady."

"Okay. Only my best friend and my kwami know this, but I have a huge crush on that man's son, Adrien Agreste. I- I've even fantasized of marrying him someday."

Her words extracted a strange sound from Chat, and when she looked over at him, she found he was picking at his claws nervously.  Strange. She didn't know how she'd expected him to react, but that certainly wasn't it.

"I don't think that's entirely off the table." Chat finally managed to get out, an embarrased blush leaking from behind his black mask.

"What?"

"Plagg, claws in."

Ladybug screamed.